EuroTravelogue To Embark With Viking River Cruises in Amsterdam

Artist rendering of the new Viking River Cruises Longships.  Photo: Courtesy of Viking River Cruises. Unauthorized use is prohibited.  

In just three weeks, I will be heading to Amsterdam with the world-renowned Viking River Cruises to Christen and launch two of the six new Viking Longships scheduled to debut this year! My particular journey will take me on board the “Odin,” named after the mighty warrior in Norse mythology. To say I am excited would be understatement of the year. Actually, I am thrilled beyond words and if you know me, you have a sense of the elation coursing through my being—testament to my undeniable exuberance to travel and explore places and cultures unfamiliar. Plus, I have wanted to experience a Viking River Cruise for the last two years and still can’t believe this opportunity is upon me. Big adventures await as well as all the updates of my journey including stunning photography of every stop along the way. But first, need to get things in order: camera, international phone cards, my iPad of course for impromptu videos and stills, luggage, passport and so much more! The adventure begins!

The Splendor of Tuscany—Sharing Memories and Dreams Contest

Farm house in Le Crete.  Photo: Property of Abbeville Press.  Unauthorized use is prohibited.

For centuries, the allure of Tuscany has captivated our imaginations with evocative images of hilltop towns, Renaissance art and architecture and Cyprus-lined roads meandering through golden fields of sunflowers. I’ll never forget my first trip to Tuscany, Italy—it was love at first sight. Immediately, I fell under the Tuscan spell when the most picturesque scenery unfolded before my eyes, whether in its cities or the surrounding countryside.

Inspired to Travel—Greece

The cast of 'Mamma Mia.' Photo: WikiMedia Commons.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to write about movies that inspired me to travel for TravelCuriousOften.com. While that list was published, I have so many more that I want to feature here on EuroTravelogue whether it’s movies, books, trips taken by colleagues or whatever the case may be, that inspired or inspires travel. At heart, I am a hopeless romantic when it comes to stories of true love and the visual beauty of the world and its people around us. And so it with this underlying thread of "romance" that I weave together all of my “inspired by” stories for you and begin this new series with an adventure to the Greek Islands and perhaps a sing-a-long song or two with Abba along the way.